Acropolis, Chichen Itza lead New 7 Wonders contest

The Kukulkan pyramid at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, May 22, 2007. The Acropolis in Athens and Mexico's Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza are among the leaders in a competition, ending in one month, to choose the New Seven Wonders of the World, the organizers said on Thursday.

LISBON (Reuters) - The Acropolis in Athens and Mexico's Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza are among the leaders in a competition, ending in one month, to choose the New Seven Wonders of the World, the organizers said on Thursday.

The winners will be chosen through a global online and phone vote, organizers of the New 7 Wonders of the World (www.new7wonders.com) competition said, a far cry from the methods used by the Greeks who chose the original Seven Wonders more than 2,000 years ago.

Some 50 million people have voted so far in the competition designed to produce a 21st century list of the world's greatest man-made heritage sites, but Tia Viering, a spokeswoman for the organization, said the result is wide open.

The winning list will be announced in Lisbon on July 7.

Many countries are carrying out special events to encourage people to vote for their sites, Viering said. "There are some really creative, phenomenal things going on in the last four weeks that will influence the final result."

These include an Indian singer dedicating a song to the Taj Mahal and Brazil's soccer team urging Brazilians to vote for Christ Redeemer, the statue that adorns Rio de Janeiro's skyline.

The most popular 10 sites so far include both the Taj Mahal and Christ Redeemer, along with the Colosseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, Peru's Machu Picchu, Petra in Jordan, and the statues of Easter Island.

Viering said the number of votes so far for each site will not be divulged as it could influence the final result.

The organization running the competition, which could become the largest ever global poll, was established by Swiss/Canadian filmmaker Bernard Weber.

Only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world remains standing today -- the Pyramids of Giza. The originals, located in the Mediterranean region, also included the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.